Sandyfoot Farmhttps://sandyfootfarm.com
Growing a market garden in the Piedmont of VirginiaSat, 16 Dec 2017 00:06:27 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngSandyfoot Farmhttps://sandyfootfarm.com
January 21, 2016https://sandyfootfarm.com/2016/01/21/january-21-2016/
https://sandyfootfarm.com/2016/01/21/january-21-2016/#commentsThu, 21 Jan 2016 17:32:34 +0000http://sandyfootfarm.com/?p=2995Continue reading January 21, 2016]]>We had the most brilliant warm fall weather all the way to the winter solstice this year.

The sustained warmth allowed us to harvest a few crops we’ve not had success with in the past. And yet, purple cauliflower is still a no-go.

We were able to leave the ginger crop in the ground until mid-December, and had some huge rhizomes to harvest!

We had plenty for continued delivery to our markets weekly until January, so we stayed busy with harvesting tasks.

The fall-seeded cover crops loved the extra warmth and grew tall and lush this year.

Here’s the same field of oats two months later after it was mostly killed by temperatures around 10 degrees. The oats provide a nice mulch to protect the soil and will enrich the soil for our early spring crops with organic matter.

You can really see the difference in the cover crops and our field blocks in the photo below, looking down the drainage ditch from the far end of the field. The brown blocks to the left are the winter-killed oats. We will plant these sections with early spring crops. The green areas (mostly on the right but some on the left) are a wheat/vetch/clover mix. They are more cold-hardy and will survive the winter and grow tall in spring as they come out of dormancy. Some of these areas will be cut down and turned under in summer to be used as fall planting areas; some will remain in cover for another year. Because we don’t use chemicals to manage our fields, we have to pay close attention to planting dates and work with nature to select the appropriate crops to effectively manage our soils. It’s been exciting for us to finally have all of our available row-crop field areas in production, so we can realize the full potential for a healthy crop rotation. We still have a few more areas within the deer fence which we plan to plant to perennial crops in the future.

Even though we have done weekly harvests through the end of the year we have been preparing for our winter ‘break’ by gathering supplies for many farm projects. Gavin did a lot of work in the packing shed installing electrical outlets and lighting, and will be finishing up the bathroom walls. We are getting ready to put up two more tunnels, and received delivery of the metal on a mucky, wet fall day.

Unloading freight can be a challenging task, and this delivery was made more challenging as it had rained several inches the day before, and was still raining that morning. Our driveway isn’t big enough for tractor trailers, so we had to move the metal down to the farm piece by piece on the tractor and pickup truck.

We were relieved to get through the day with no accidents or injuries.

In addition to the tunnel project and packing shed, our other big project this winter is to improve the energy efficiency in the potting house. Gavin replaced the baseboard and installed thermostatically controlled sidewall curtains to replace the a leaky polycarbonate panel system. Previously opening the sidewalls involved walking around to each panel section and moving it along a slotted channel. The panels weren’t very well secured in their channels and wind would often blow between them, sometimes even blowing them out of the frame. The new curtain system provides a much tighter seal. Since it is controlled by a thermostat, we’ll be able to leave the farm without having to worry about opening or closing the potting house to keep it from overheating or freezing.

This is the site for the new tunnels. We grew garlic and potatoes here in 2015 and had just finished digging the potatoes in this picture.

Our land is far from level (which is hard to tell from the picture), so Gavin spent several days grading, with the tractor and by hand.

The site work is done. The pads slope about 3% to the north, and are slightly terraced east to west.

I was investigating how the new tunnels are going to shade the potting house on the winter solstice. It looks like about half of the structure will be in shadow. But by the time we’re starting seeds in early February this should be less of an issue as the sun climbs higher in the sky. It’s not ideal, but we don’t have a lot of options on our site for building locations.

The next project is getting this bench-top radiant heating system working. We bought it to set up last spring but didn’t have time to complete the project before the season started.

Seeing all the time that Gavin has put into it already….

I’m crossing my fingers the system will be running before I need to start the majority of the spring seeding. But the propane company won’t be coming until mid-February at the earliest…

Once that’s done we’ll be on to our tunnel building project!

I’ve spent a lot of time this winter working on less photogenic projects of reworking our farm share program sign-up, email, and ordering system, seed ordering, and crop planning. Many of our seeds have arrived and we’re looking forward to an another year of farming!

The blueberry bushes are doing well, and we tasted some of the first fruits this year.

Digging potatoes. So many potatoes!

The tomatoes in the tunnel have been stellar! No leaf mold disease issues as in years past, since we only grew varieties with leaf mold resistance. They’re still kicking, unlike our outdoor tomatoes which have been almost a complete loss due to stink bug damage. Still, plenty of challenges in the tunnel with army worms and of course tomato hornworms, which seemed especially prolific this year.

Earlier in June… a look at the summer veggie field.

And a couple of weeks later in July, harvesting some gorgeous eggplant!

Ginger and turmeric growing in the little tunnel. We’ll start to dig these soon!

Fall garden planted out and growing like crazy.

The weather has cooled enough that we have greens once again.

And lots of diversity for seasonal eaters at the market.

We’re busy getting ready for next year’s crops with some compost spreading fun.

And of course the building projects continue. Our cooler is finally up and running!!! (And now it’s time to start thinking about the NEXT cooler…)

After five years of slowly building infrastructure and getting more land into production this place is really starting to come together. We’ve had some unexpected markets open up over the past few months and it’s become very apparent that it’s time to hire more farmers to work here. We’ve been so blessed this season to have great part-time help and we’re looking forward to having a full-time crew on our farm next year to help serve our community of eaters!

]]>https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/08/23/august-23-2015/feed/5MeredithIMG_2061IMG_2097IMG_7521IMG_2076IMG_7367IMG_2289IMG_7560IMG_7542IMG_2306IMG_7631IMG_7619IMG_2332June 8, 2015https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/06/08/june-8-2015/
https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/06/08/june-8-2015/#commentsMon, 08 Jun 2015 14:28:44 +0000http://sandyfootfarm.com/?p=2876Continue reading June 8, 2015]]>Time does tend to get away from me in the spring with so many things needing immediate attention and a to-do list a mile long. From preparing beds to starting seeds, transplanting, cultivating, irrigating, harvesting and going to market, there is not much time left over for taking a step back and sharing the amazing transformation that happens here in spring.

And finally getting mowed down, and soon turned into the soil that will become the food for our fall vegetables.

From flame-weeded carrot beds…

To bountiful carrot harvests.

And full market tables.

We are passing out of spring greens season and into summer fruits.

So many peas to pick, and tomatoes to trellis.

Beds to cultivate and plant.

Potatoes to hill and dig. And sunflowers that bloom the day after a market.

Finally our fields are full of so many things coming and going.

And our forest is growing food as well.

The tomato vines are loaded up and we are ready for these gorgeous green orbs to color up.

Pretty borage blossoms bring in the bees.

A black snake has found his dinner.

And the one that got away, who might be looking for a bite to eat himself.

Lot of moving pieces. We are usually asked at market at least a few times a day, do you spray? What do you do for pests? The answer is, nothing and everything. We do not spray anything on our crops to kill pests. However, everything we do is an important component in the ecosystem of our farm that leads to pest management without the use of chemicals. From taking fields out of production for a season and improving the soil with cover crops. From making sure our soils have the right fertility so that our crops are not constantly struggling. From using row covers and netting to exclude what pests we can from the crop. From harvesting at the right time, to keeping things irrigated. From keeping good records on our crop rotations and observing daily what’s going on in the field. From seeding and planting at the right time. From including herbs and flowers in our field that attract beneficial insects. Each component of the system works to help keep our crops healthy and pests to a minimum. We do not always win the battles, but with continuous observation and learning we can and are improving on what we do here each year: without resorting to the use of spraying pesticides of any kind on our crops. We’re digging in deep.

]]>https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/06/08/june-8-2015/feed/4MeredithIMG_7127IMG_1862IMG_1349IMG_1692IMG_1790IMG_1391IMG_1882IMG_7340IMG_1729IMG_1657IMG_1567IMG_2013IMG_1998IMG_1965IMG_2020IMG_2026IMG_7318IMG_7324March 27, 2015https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/03/27/march-27-2015/
https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/03/27/march-27-2015/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2015 18:17:56 +0000http://sandyfootfarm.com/?p=2837Continue reading March 27, 2015]]>This time last month we were trudging through the snow with the old walk-behind tiller beginning to clean out the tunnels for spring crops.

The snow lingered into March keeping us out of the fields, but we have so much going on indoors we manage to keep busy. Gavin upgraded the electrical wiring in the potting house. That is a layer of snow on the roof!

Now the fans and lights are on switches, we have ample plugs in convenient spots, and wiring is in place for future projects to come into being. The bench heating project has been sidelined as we realized it was going to take a lot more time to assemble and coordinate the installation of a propane tank, etc… also the weather warmed a bit, so keeping the potting house above freezing has been less of a concern. Field prep, planting, and the packing shed project are what’s important at this moment.

We finished our yearly mushroom log inoculations as the snow melted and fields were still saturated. This year we are trying out oyster mushrooms in addition to the shiitake mushrooms. I think cultivating mushrooms is one of my favorite parts of the farm. Our forest is brimming with these perfect-sized oaks that need thinning, and we hope to improve the health of our wood lot by growing more mushrooms in the future.

The packing shed project took shape as the weather finally broke.

Our builder’s crew did a great job erecting the building shell, and our plumber came last week and did the rough-in plumbing work. Now we will have the concrete floor poured and install the walk-in cooler, as well as complete finish plumbing and electrical work.

We’re putting a bathroom in the building, for the convenience of our future employees. We sited the bathroom to use the sewer line from the trailer (which Gavin dug up and replaced). Lucky for us the septic is approved for 2 bedrooms and the yurt is only 1. That sewer line had not been in use for at least 15 years, but it was interesting to see that the pipe (which was probably installed in the 70s) was not glued together and the walnut tree which we recently cut down had a root growing into the sewer line seeking nutrients. Nature will prevail.

We are very pleased with the new building addition, it will really improve our efficiency. We hope to get it functioning before the markets begin! (Yes, I realize this is a lot to ask, as we only have 4 weeks remaining… but I can dream).

These broccoli plants below are now tucked into their beds in the field.

What remains of last fall’s broccoli with rye and clover growing up through. The fields have really greened up in the last week or two.

It’s been a major challenge this spring working around the continued wetness in the fields. Our opportunities to work have been limited, but we’ve been knocking out the major prep work and planting tasks as we can. We spread our new field with compost.

And managed to sneak a few peas in the ground.

As well as some early potatoes.

It’s really exciting to see active green growth in the tunnel. You can almost watch the crops grow a bit each day. Spring is here.

And the potting house is brimming over with spring and summer crops!

Each year is so different weather-wise it can be hard to plan… which is frustrating. We try to be patient and flexible, which means continually re-thinking and re-working our plans. But we keep busy even if our field plantings are delayed by a few weeks, and we know eventually everything will find it’s place in the ground and then onto our plates!

]]>https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/03/27/march-27-2015/feed/1MeredithIMG_0918IMG_1038IMG_1028IMG_6940IMG_1076IMG_6998IMG_1204IMG_1175IMG_7042IMG_7045IMG_1057IMG_7119IMG_1245IMG_1257February 23, 2015https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/02/23/february-23-2015/
https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/02/23/february-23-2015/#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 17:11:11 +0000http://sandyfootfarm.com/?p=2808Continue reading February 23, 2015]]>Winter’s chilly grip does not want to let go, but we continue to forge ahead with the season’s work and attempt to keep on schedule. We spent a few days cutting logs for this year’s shiitake mushrooms.

Working in the woods in mid-winter is such a change from our normal activities. Lifting all those logs really gets the blood moving so you don’t notice the cold as much.

Freight orders and building materials have been arriving on the farm, and each order means extra time coordinating with truck drivers to deliver to our somewhat inaccessible farm, and then assembling and figuring out so many new things.

One major project we are working on is improving the seed-starting house. Although we have not succeeded in getting this project accomplished in time for the early spring seedlings, I think next year, or at least later this spring, we’ll have things up and running.

As we imagine projects and improvements to the farm, we often neglect to consider that every project will require so much extra time, needing more tools and sometimes adding more complications to our current processes. But in the long run they will help us to be more efficient and productive with our time and energy, so that we can grow more food!

These benches will someday soon be the home to a radiant heat system. Our wood stove doesn’t heat the space adequately so we’re hoping to be a little more energy-efficient by heating only the root zone of the plants and not the air.

It looks like a lot more bench space, but I have already filled much of it with seedlings over the past few weeks!

So many young plants protected in the heat chamber.

Our building site is ready to go. Building materials are here, and we had heard that the contractor would be coming in the next few days to start construction. Then came the snow.

Since then we’ve been a little behind in getting much done, just dealing with the necessities of life. Heat, Water, Electricity, and Getting out of the Driveway have been all-consuming. We lost power briefly, which is a shock when it’s in the teens, the tractor won’t start, and the generator is not ready to go.

Stoking the wood stove. Even though it will barely keep the potting house around 30 degrees on a cold and windy night when it’s near 0 outside, that’s better than nothing.

Our driveway is an ice luge.

Did I mention it’s half a mile long, and we don’t have any 4wd vehicles?

To make things a bit more challenging the weather dipped to negative 8 degrees, our heat pump stopped working in the middle of the night, and we had a market to harvest for the next day.

We somehow persisted and made it to market. That morning another snow storm arrived and made it a challenge for many of our customers, and vendors even, to attend the market.

It’s been a particularly challenging winter to grow veggies here. But our awesome customers and supporters keep us going. We will just have to get a little tougher, and continue to add resiliency to our systems. This is Virginia, not Michigan or Minnesota: surely we can buck up and deal with a little white stuff and chilly weather.

Now it’s time for us to take a break from markets as we say goodbye to our overwintered crops and get ready for spring planting. Spring WILL be here soon!!!

]]>https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/02/23/february-23-2015/feed/11MeredithIMG_6906IMG_6908IMG_0665IMG_6830IMG_6845IMG_6879IMG_6886IMG_0790IMG_0660IMG_0696IMG_0703IMG_0784IMG_0786IMG_0777IMG_6910January 28, 2015https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/01/28/january-28-2015/
https://sandyfootfarm.com/2015/01/28/january-28-2015/#commentsWed, 28 Jan 2015 18:14:06 +0000http://sandyfootfarm.com/?p=2695Continue reading January 28, 2015]]>One of our main projects this winter is preparing for and constructing a permanent packing shed/walk-in cooler building. We have been washing and packing in our potting house for many years now, which is a fine setup most of the time (though not ideal in midsummer). However we have long outgrown our refrigerator space, and we need to use the potting house for growing transplants, not washing and packing.

Our best site for the building, as I mentioned in the previous post, is the trailer site: centrally located between our two field areas and convenient to the driveway for loading and unloading. When we bought the property this trailer came with it, and we have been able to put it to use for tool storage.

But the trailer has always been in poor condition and needed to be removed. Gavin used a tractor, a crowbar, and sawzall to take it apart, piece by piece.

He was able to salvage quite a bit of metal, which he took to the recyclers.

What a nasty job, with a lot of dust and fiberglass insulation blowing about!

Gavin flipped the trailer frame over and then separated the frame from the floor assembly.

We have joked that we could probably build a nice little tiny home on that frame! But after living in the yurt for so many years, I think we are looking to build something with a permanent foundation (though it will still have a small footprint).

Getting the last bits in the dumpster.

The next step was taking out that big walnut tree growing just a few feet away from the trailer.

Gavin’s friend Todd masterfully and safely brought the tree down yesterday. It was quite a job, considering all the obstacles. The tree was leaning toward the power line and had large branches overhanging the deer fence, as well as being in close proximity to the yurt. It could have done a lot of damage if it had fallen the wrong way.

He couldn’t have done a better job laying it down!

We spent most of the day cutting up the tree for future firewood, and scattering the smaller branches in the woods up on the hill. As I came back down I caught a nice shot of the West field. The rye and clover in the bottom rows are growing happily and will protect and enrich our soil for next fall’s garden. Above the annual crop rows are our perennials. The asparagus patch is on the right, our former raspberry patch in the center section (which we will convert to more asparagus next year), and the blueberry rows are on the left. Now that the building sit is clear, we can start building! Hopefully the building’s shell will be mostly completed by the time April comes around and we can begin the season packing in the new space. Only 2 months away!!!

Warmer weather and lots of veggies are around the corner, but we are keeping busy. Coming soon we’ll be posting information and details about a community supported agriculture (CSA) program we will be offering this year, with pickups in Forest on Wednesday and Saturday.

Markets! Lots of fall bounty, this photo from mid-October. Our markets are less frequent during the winter months, but we still have a few cold hardy crops coming in!

Praying mantis in the field.

So many carrots. The Purple Haze variety is really a stunner.

And more carrots.

The last of our ginger crop, harvested mid-November. We had our best-ever crop this year.

Which means I also had a lot of ginger to process. I juiced quite a bit and froze it in ice-cube trays. We add these cubes to boiling water and it makes the most wonderful concentrated and potent ginger tea.

Also experimented with ginger refrigerator pickles. Also dried slices of ginger in the dehydrator that can be stored and ground in a spice grinder for adding to recipes. And of course, froze it whole in chunks for adding to recipes that call for fresh ginger.

Cleaning up the turmeric crop. It has so many roots. Unlike the ginger roots, which are less plentiful and more easily removed, these turmeric roots require some serious time and patience to de-root.

De-rooted turmeric. It also seems to be much slower to grow than the ginger.

We continue to have problems with onion maggot on the leeks, which make our attempts to grow this crop, as well as scallions, very frustrating.

Tender baby radishes: D’avignon variety.

Our first crop of hazelnuts, from the slips we planted several years ago. The beginnings of a food forest!!!

Broccoli crop coming in.

What’s left in the field, today! Mostly kale! It’s amazing how dark the red curly kale becomes after the cold.

I mulched the asparagus patch with leaves and grass.

Prepping our garlic beds with compost; early November.

We planted a lot of garlic this year, over 100 lbs, including much of our own saved seed.

Winter projects are gaining momentum. Gavin putting the siding on this shed that was begun several years ago. I think it is finally done now?!

Beginning another huge project. This will be the future site for a new barn/packing area/cooler. First we have to remove the trailer.

Staking out the future building. We don’t have a lot of space to work with but we’ll use what we have available.

We had our plumbing contractor put in over a thousand feet of water lines out to the new fields this fall. As we begin to grow in these areas it will be great to have water in the right place. In the spring we’ll start laying out this area into our permanent growing beds, with vegetative walkways between rows and drip irrigation to each bed.